Warrior (2011)
89%RT Audience Score: 92%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
5 wins & 22 nominations total
Warrior relies on many of the clichés that critics of the genre love to mock — and it transcends them with gripping action, powerful acting, and heart
Warrior is the ultimate movie about two brothers fighting for a cash prize in an MMA tournament. It’s a heart-wrenching story that will make you laugh, cry, and cheer. The fight sequences are brutal and raw, and the characters are honest and true. Tom Hardy’s physicality is something to behold, and the central themes being delivered in the denouement pack a major emotional wallop. It’s a hidden gem and one of the greatest sports films of all time. So, grab some popcorn, sit back, and enjoy the ride!
Production Company(ies)
Revolution Studios, Red Om Films, Hughes Entertainment,
Distributor
Lionsgate Films
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Meadows Racetrack & Casino – 210 Racetrack Road, Washington, Pennsylvania, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense mixed martial arts fighting, some language and thematic material
Year of Release
2011
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital Datasat SDDS Dolby Surround 7.1 Dolby Atmos
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:2h 19m
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Language(s):English, Spanish
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Sep 9, 2011 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 20, 2011
Genre(s)
Action/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Joel Edgerton, Tom Hardy, Nick Nolte, Jennifer Morrison, Frank Grillo, Kevin Dunn, directed by Gavin O’Connor, written by Gavin O’Connor, Anthony Tambakis, Cliff Dorfman, action, drama, PG-13, Lionsgate Films, produced by Gavin O’Connor, Greg O’Connor, $13.7M box office, reviewed by Sara Michelle Fetters, Sandra Hall, Jim Schembri, Derek Malcolm, Andrew Pulver, Tim Robey, directed by Gavin O’Connor, written by Gavin O’Connor, Anthony Tambakis, Cliff Dorfman, MMA, family, redemption, estranged, tournament, underdog, fighting, emotional, powerful acting, heart, Tommy, Brendan, Paddy, Tess, Frank Campana, Principal Zito
Worldwide gross: $23,308,615
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $30,685,742
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,543
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 3,346,319
US/Canada gross: $13,657,115
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $17,979,563
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,447
US/Canada opening weekend: $5,242,107
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $6,901,223
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,041
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $25,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $32,912,447
Production budget ranking: 1,103
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $17,723,353
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$19,950,057
ROI to date (est.): -39%
ROI ranking: 1,617
Tom Hardy – Tommy
Nick Nolte – Paddy
Jennifer Morrison – Tess
Frank Grillo – Frank Campana
Kevin Dunn – Principal Zito
Director(s)
Gavin O’Connor
Writer(s)
Gavin O’Connor, Anthony Tambakis, Cliff Dorfman
Producer(s)
Gavin O’Connor, Greg O’Connor
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
5 wins & 22 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (195) | Top Critics (62) | Fresh (163) | Rotten (32)
The characters are honest and true, the fight sequences are brutal and raw, while the central themes being delivered in the denouement pack a major emotional wallop.
January 27, 2012 | Rating: 3/4
Sara Michelle Fetters
MovieFreak.com
TOP CRITIC
Its three leads certainly deserve consideration for their artfulness in being able to infuse it with intimations of quality.
October 26, 2011 | Rating: 3.5/5
Sandra Hall
Sydney Morning Herald
TOP CRITIC
Grainy, hand-held cinematography can’t lend authenticity to the forced emotion.
October 25, 2011 | Rating: 2/5
Jim Schembri
The Age (Australia)
TOP CRITIC
Carries you along despite its obvious faults and pretensions
September 23, 2011 | Rating: 3/5
Derek Malcolm
London Evening Standard
TOP CRITIC
Has to conform to the lunkhead straitjacket of the tournament format: one dufus pounding another in extreme close-up for what seems like an eternity.
September 22, 2011 | Rating: 2/5
Andrew Pulver
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
Hardy’s physicality here is something to behold: you wonder how many personal trainers he worked his way through to get those neck muscles.
September 22, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
Tim Robey
Daily Telegraph (UK)
TOP CRITIC
The journey the characters take to get there sucks you in and melts the inherent predictability away.
March 8, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
Don Shanahan
Every Movie Has a Lesson
While most would simply write off a movie about two brothers fighting for a cash prize in an MMA tournament as direct-to-DVD piffle, Warrior pummels any negative expectations by putting on a gut-wrenching thumper of a show.
February 9, 2022
Cory Woodroof
Nashville Scene
Through a few powerhouse performances, Warrior shows how tough it is to break the strong family bond even when family members are estranged.
September 9, 2021
Danielle Solzman
Solzy at the Movies
A hidden gem. One of the greatest sports films of all time. [Full review in Spanish]
May 2, 2021 | Rating: 4.5/5
Fico Cangiano
CineXpress Podcast
Instead of one person’s journey to redemption, you have a pair of brothers. Two underdog stories for the price of one.
August 5, 2020 | Rating: B+
Allen Almachar
The MacGuffin
The film is a triumph if you can get past the premise. I did. And I feel I’m the better for it. I genuinely hope you can get past the stretch of a premise, too…
April 1, 2020
Ed Travis
Hollywood Jesus…
Plot
Two brothers face the fight of a lifetime – and the wreckage of their broken family – within the brutal, high-stakes world of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighting in Lionsgate ‘s action/drama, WARRIOR. A former Marine, haunted by a tragic past, Tommy Riordan returns to his hometown of Pittsburgh and enlists his father, a recovered alcoholic and his former coach, to train him for an MMA tournament awarding the biggest purse in the history of the sport. As Tommy blazes a violent path towards the title prize, his brother, Brendan, a former MMA fighter unable to make ends meet as a public school teacher, returns to the amateur ring to provide for his family. Even though years have passed, recriminations and past betrayals keep Brendan bitterly estranged from both Tommy and his father. But when Brendan’s unlikely rise as an underdog sets him on a collision course with Tommy, the two brothers must finally confront the forces that tore them apart, all the while waging the most intense, winner-takes-all battle of their lives.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Tom Hardy’s physical transformation for his role as Tommy in Warrior was impressive, with the actor gaining 28 pounds of muscle for the role.
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